Chapter 8: Snake in the Grass

When I first landed in this game, things weren’t this bad. But then I awakened my skill—Bewitch. All it does is make people like me more easily. But Sam Logan twisted it into something sinister.

After Captain Shane died saving me—ripped apart by a boss monster while I was bait—Sam cried to the team: "Jason Reed’s skill can bewitch anyone. That’s why Shane died for him."

Suddenly, everyone looked at me like I was the snake in the grass. Disgust, fear, betrayal. From then on, whenever there was danger, I was the first one sacrificed. After I drained myself controlling monsters, they’d stroll out to finish the job, then freeze me out again. Sam’s lies sealed my fate. No matter how hard I tried, it never mattered.

"Say whatever you want."

I push up from the ground, leaning on a tree. "Cough... I’m quitting the team. Where I go next, live or die, isn’t your problem."

Sam Logan’s eyes go wide, big and blue, and Kyle Yates steps in, cold as ice. "What exactly are you so upset about? Crude tricks only Hunter believes. If you keep up this act, not dying will be your biggest problem."

I say nothing, pushing past him, my boots crunching dead leaves, refusing to look back. Kyle reaches out, hesitates, then flicks his whip around my ankle, yanking me down.

"Fine. Here’s your antidote."

He tosses me a military-grade auto-injector—the kind we fought over during supply runs. "Want to quit? Wait until the dungeon’s done. Until then, do your job. My patience is running thin, Jason Reed. Don’t act like a child."